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Thursday, December 2, 2010

Cold Season Must-Haves!

it's the most wonderful time of the year. but for a singer like myself it can also be the most dreaded time of the year! colds can be killer for your voice, and if you use your voice as much as i do, you are always on the look out for ways to prevent losing it. when i get sick there are a few things i m-u-s-t have handy to keep my voice healthy and to speed up the healing process. (despite my stellar teaching-generated immune system, i am prone to the occasional illness.)

now, if i would only find my neti pot, i would likely not have gotten sick in the first place! if you're not familiar with what this is, you'd do well to look into it- it is more helpful in preventing colds and allergic irritation than it is in curing them, but it is a necessity for me all the same (when i can actually find it)if you use it daily, your sinuses stay healthy and clear of allergens and pathogens. unfortunately i have not been doing this, so now i have a cold.

that means it's damage control time.

first, i have to have my face steamer.

when you put water in the basin, it generates steam.

breathing in the steam clears out your sinuses and breaks up chest congestion, helping to put an end to coughs and stuffy noses.

mine even has a special attachment just for breathing steam in through the nose.

it's a beautiful thing. it is very soothing and great for your skin, too!

i also keep a plethora of throat drops handy to avoid drying out, which causes more vocal irritation.

my favorites?

the cherry ones are mentholated, and the mixed berry are full of vitamin c; so how can you go wrong? (they taste yummy, too.)

and speaking of vitamin c, i virtually overdose on emergen-c every time i feel sick or sense an impending cold. not only does it reboot my immune system, but it gives me the energy that is lost to sickness. tangerine is tasty in a glass of o.j.

this last little trick is something i just learned yesterday from a woman who had a heavy slavic accent, which gave credibility to her suggestion. i tried it and found it worthy of making my must-have list.

take a big dab of vick's vaporub and slather it on your feet before bed.

put on two pairs of socks and sleep out the cold!

last night before bed i did just that. before sleeping i couldn't breathe through my nose, but when i woke this morning my nose was clear and i felt almost completely well! perhaps this was due to having a good night's sleep. or perhaps vick's on the feet really is a miracle cure.

so there you have it...

it is my sincere hope that you stay healthy this cold season! but if you don't, just go out and get yourself a steamer and some vick's and you'll be better again in no time.

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